Pinky And Lost Boundaries Analysis

Upon first glance the films Pinky (1949) and Lost Boundaries (1949) appear to be progressive. They portray controversial ideas such as miscegenation and equality between whites and blacks. But are these films really trying to make a statement of equality? While on the surface Pinky and Lost Boundaries, make a contentious political statement; in actuality they make a mockery of the idea of egalitarianism. The film Pinky addresses the questionable idea of a mixed race couple and of a black woman owning property. Both of these ideas were important issues at the time, and the film appears to be a serious attempt at quelling some of the public’s discomfort with the notion, however the way that the film is made contradicts this idea completely. First of all, a white actress named Jeanne Crain plays the role of Pinky. This wouldn’t be an issue except for the fact that the PCA required that the actress be white because of the on screen romance between Pinky and her white lover (Insert Citation from course pack). The statement being made about mixed race couples is completely lost because of the fact that they don’t depict a mixed race couple on screen. Another behind the scenes fact that proves that this film wasn’t a serious public statement about race was the way in which Elia Kazan, the director of the film, comported himself throughout the filming process. Elia Kazan stated in his autobiography, in reference to the film, “we all knew we were not making a masterpiece” (Dombrowski). Kazan’s apathy towards the film demonstrates how there was no intention for the film to be revolutionary; rather his indifference to his work furthers the idea that the film is a farce. In addition to the evidence off screen, there’s also plenty of cinematic confirmation for the idea that the film is more degrading than progressive. In the film, Pinky is given many unusual opportunities for a black woman; she’s an educated graduate school nurse, she’s granted the estate of Miss Em, and she’s in a relationship with a renowned white man. As a mulatto, she struggles with whom to identify with. In order to reap to the fullest extent many of her opportunities, she must denounce her black roots and pass as a white woman in the north. Her boyfriend, Dr. Thomas Adams, constantly asks her to move back up north with him where she will be able to live as white. Some people may argue that Dr. Thomas’s continued love for Pinky, even after he discovers that she’s black, was a radical idea for the period; however it’s actually demeaning to the black community. His request implies that she’s only a valuable person if she passes as white. Despite all of Pinky’s education, she still cannot receive a viable job opportunity if she chooses to live as a black woman. Although Pinky is pressured to act as a white woman, her time embracing her black heritage proves the satirical nature of the film. The film depicts a huge intelligence gap between the white people that put her down and Pinky. This gap furthers the idea that even though Pinky is well educated all that matters is her roots and her grandmother’s complexion. This gap can be seen in the white men who antagonize her. The men in the car are drunks who probably never completed high school, yet they are seen as …show more content…
Carter. In the films, they both have advanced degrees and both prove themselves to be capable in their respective fields. Dr. Carter, in particular, demonstrates that he is more than proficient when he saves Dr. Brackett through an emergency procedure by himself. While today we may take higher education for granted, in 1940 (around when this film was made), only 10.6 percent of African Americans even completed high school (Shinagawa and Jang pg. 27). That statistic proves just how extraordinary it was that Dr. Carter made it all the way through medical school in that time period. Irrespective of this fact, all of Dr. Carter’s trusted advisors told him that he should pass as white in order to obtain a decent job. This implies that the same college education, whether you’re black or white, only holds merit if you’re